2 Core concepts underpinning professional practice

The practice of social care professionals in all contexts is underpinned by some core concepts, many of which are associated with the values and ethical codes of the professions. Many of the core concepts are common across the professional standards for social care professionals.

Some of the concepts relate to tasks or responsibilities that apply to all of the workforce, although the nature, level of responsibility or statutory duties may vary. For example, all in the social care workforce have responsibilities relating to managing risk and harm, but social workers have specific statutory duties to investigate and assess where there is a concern about an adult or child being at risk. Other elements of practice, such as maintaining public trust and confidentiality, apply in the same way to all social care professionals. You will now explore some of these underpinning concepts in more detail.